Panthers have lots of work to do

Jason Queen

Published: Thursday, September 13, 2012 at 12:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, September 13, 2012 at 12:00 a.m.

Sometimes, you'll read a story or hear a sportscast about a score that wasn't indicative of how the game went. Earlier this season, North Davidson beat Ledford 33-9, but it was a tie ball game late in the third quarter. That game was close, but if you just saw the final score, you would think it was a blowout.

Just looking at the final score of the Carolina Panthers' season opener at Tampa Bay, if you didn't watch it, you might have thought it came down to the wire. It didn't. The Panthers were outplayed in every facet, from beginning to end. If that had happened in Green Bay, or New England, or even Atlanta, it may have been easier to stomach for Panthers' fans. But Tampa Bay?

The Buccaneers looked like easy pickings for Carolina, a good way to start the season with an extremely tough stretch to follow. Now, at 0-1, New Orleans comes calling this week, followed by the defending Super Bowl Champion Giants, then a trip to red-hot Atlanta. Uh-oh.

Sadly, you can't even say there was one part of the game that was the most disappointing part. They were lousy on defense, unable to stop rookie running back Doug Martin when they knew the Bucs wanted to run at them. Josh Freeman only threw for 138 yards, but he was 16-of-24 through the air. The defense could not get off the field when it needed to. Now Panthers fans know what it felt like to play against a John Fox-coached Carolina team. Tampa didn't do anything extremely well, it just did what it had to do to win.

And then there was the offense. Yikes. Offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski was a hot pick for a head coaching job after last season, when he turned the Panthers into a real thrill ride on that side of the ball. I don't think anybody's gonna be beating down his door to take over a team this week.

Carolina had 301 total yards, but only 10 yards on the ground. Cam Newton struggled all day, despite finishing 23-of-33 for 303 yards and a touchdown. He threw two interceptions, and just looked off all day. Nearly every pass he threw in the first half was off his back foot. And, make no mistake about it, he is a physical specimen with unbelievable strength. But when he threw off his back foot, he did not have the zip on his passes that he has when he steps up in the pocket and throws with his entire body.

Granted, the line didn't do a great job of protecting him. But there were several occasions when he held the ball far too long, giving the defensive front time to get to him. And he only had four yards rushing on five carries; why were there no designed draw plays or bootlegs?

The fact of the matter is, first-year Tampa coach Greg Schiano walked off the college campus and took Ron Rivera and Chudzinski to school. When the Bucs hired Schiano away from Rutgers, I thought they were going from bad (Raheem Morris) to worse (a guy with no head coaching experience in the NFL). For one day, anyway, it looked like a great hire.

Now comes the hard part for the Panthers: bouncing back. Most coaches say their teams improve the most from Week 1 to Week 2. Carolina fans have to hope so. The Saints are coming into Charlotte in desperate need of a win after the Redskins stunned them in their opener. The Giants are coming off a loss, and the Falcons looked like a well-oiled machine in their opener.

Last season, Carolina opened the season with a loss. But there were plenty of qualifiers: it was against Green Bay, it was respectable, and Newton looked like a budding star in his debut.

This year, the feeling is much more pessimistic.

Jason Queen can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 220, or jason.queen@the-dispatch.com.

<p>Sometimes, you'll read a story or hear a sportscast about a score that wasn't indicative of how the game went. Earlier this season, North Davidson beat Ledford 33-9, but it was a tie ball game late in the third quarter. That game was close, but if you just saw the final score, you would think it was a blowout.</p><p>Just looking at the final score of the Carolina Panthers' season opener at Tampa Bay, if you didn't watch it, you might have thought it came down to the wire. It didn't. The Panthers were outplayed in every facet, from beginning to end. If that had happened in Green Bay, or New England, or even Atlanta, it may have been easier to stomach for Panthers' fans. But Tampa Bay?</p><p>The Buccaneers looked like easy pickings for Carolina, a good way to start the season with an extremely tough stretch to follow. Now, at 0-1, New Orleans comes calling this week, followed by the defending Super Bowl Champion Giants, then a trip to red-hot Atlanta. Uh-oh.</p><p>Sadly, you can't even say there was one part of the game that was the most disappointing part. They were lousy on defense, unable to stop rookie running back Doug Martin when they knew the Bucs wanted to run at them. Josh Freeman only threw for 138 yards, but he was 16-of-24 through the air. The defense could not get off the field when it needed to. Now Panthers fans know what it felt like to play against a John Fox-coached Carolina team. Tampa didn't do anything extremely well, it just did what it had to do to win.</p><p>And then there was the offense. Yikes. Offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski was a hot pick for a head coaching job after last season, when he turned the Panthers into a real thrill ride on that side of the ball. I don't think anybody's gonna be beating down his door to take over a team this week.</p><p>Carolina had 301 total yards, but only 10 yards on the ground. Cam Newton struggled all day, despite finishing 23-of-33 for 303 yards and a touchdown. He threw two interceptions, and just looked off all day. Nearly every pass he threw in the first half was off his back foot. And, make no mistake about it, he is a physical specimen with unbelievable strength. But when he threw off his back foot, he did not have the zip on his passes that he has when he steps up in the pocket and throws with his entire body.</p><p>Granted, the line didn't do a great job of protecting him. But there were several occasions when he held the ball far too long, giving the defensive front time to get to him. And he only had four yards rushing on five carries; why were there no designed draw plays or bootlegs?</p><p>The fact of the matter is, first-year Tampa coach Greg Schiano walked off the college campus and took Ron Rivera and Chudzinski to school. When the Bucs hired Schiano away from Rutgers, I thought they were going from bad (Raheem Morris) to worse (a guy with no head coaching experience in the NFL). For one day, anyway, it looked like a great hire.</p><p>Now comes the hard part for the Panthers: bouncing back. Most coaches say their teams improve the most from Week 1 to Week 2. Carolina fans have to hope so. The Saints are coming into Charlotte in desperate need of a win after the Redskins stunned them in their opener. The Giants are coming off a loss, and the Falcons looked like a well-oiled machine in their opener.</p><p>Last season, Carolina opened the season with a loss. But there were plenty of qualifiers: it was against Green Bay, it was respectable, and Newton looked like a budding star in his debut.</p><p>This year, the feeling is much more pessimistic.</p><p>Jason Queen can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 220, or jason.queen@the-dispatch.com.</p>